The case of Adnan Syed, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend over 15 years ago, captivated the millions who listened to Serial, the This American Life spinoff podcast that debuted in October last year. The man is now the subject of a new book by Rabia Chaudry, who initially brought Syed’s case to the attention of Serial’s host and producer Sarah Koenig.

Undisclosed review – the Adnan Syed case revisited

Read more

The book, titled Adnan’s Story: Murder, Justice, and the Case That Captivated a Nation, will be published by St Martin’s Press next September. Chaudry is writing the book with Syed’s cooperation, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In 1999, Syed was tried for the murder of Hae Min Lee and found guilty in a case that included data from cell towers that claimed to show his cellphone had been used near the location where Lee’s body was discovered. As the Serial podcast recounted, the reliability of the cell tower information calls into question Syed’s accountability.

Chaudry has been a vocal and dedicated advocate for Syed since his conviction. Following the ending of Serial, she co-produced Undisclosed: The State v Adnan Syed, a podcast that examined Syed’s case from the beginning.

Since that podcast ended its run in August, Syed’s case has been reopened by a Maryland judge.

Maryland judge orders Serial subject Adnan Syed’s case reopened

Read more

Chaudry’s book “will reexamine the investigation that led to Adnan Syed’s arrest, share his life in prison, discuss new evidence and possibilities that have since come to light, and review the recent court successes – including a ruling by a Maryland judge to reopen Syed’s case”, according to the publisher.

“The first letter I received after being arrested in 1999 was from Rabia,” Syed said in a release. “Since that time until now, she has believed in my innocence and been committed to my exoneration. There have been appeal hearings in which she is the only other person other than my mother who showed up. Rabia, Saad and their family are one of the only families that never forgot me. Over the years they never stopped visiting me, taking my calls, sending me letters and books, and praying for me. As someone connected to me, my family, my community, my lawyers, and my investigation, there is no one better to help tell my story, and no one that I trust more to tell it, than Rabia.”